284 THE PEA FAMILY. 



In dry soil in many a mountain woods, or even hugging closely a steep 

 hillside, the butterfly pea seems almost too delicate and chaste a blossom to 

 be disputing the soil with hoary mints, aggressive coreopses and the close 

 and interwoven growth of rhododendrons long since past their bloom, but 

 which make up the conglomerate leafage of midsummer. Sometimes, how- 

 ever, it finds a soft patch of ferns to rest against and then has truly a petted 

 and cultivated air. Its large, banner petal of palest lavender hoists from 

 afar a signal to its butterfly lovers and furthermore to please their suscepti- 

 bilities it exhales a faint and very sweet perfume. 



GROUND NUT. 



Apios Apios. 



Flozvers : growing closely in short, axillary racemes. Calyx: campanulate; 

 slightly two-lipped. Corolla: papilionaceous; the lateral petals enclosing the 

 stamens and keel. Stamens : diadelphous, nine and one. Style : slender. Pods: 

 linear ; slightly curving and containing many seeds. Leaves: with slender, slightly 

 pubescent petioles; odd-pinnate with from five to seven ovate, or ovate-lanceolate 

 leaflets, pointed at the apex and mostly rounded at the base; entire ; thin ; glabrate. 

 A slender, twining vine, Rootstock ; tuberous; edible. 



After the majority of other flowers have vanished this pretty little thing 

 throws out its dense clusters of dull purple flowers, quite velvety within and 

 which are as sweetly fragrant as violets. Their colour is peculiar, but still 

 they are very ornamental and especially so when surrounded by the light 

 green foliage. The stem contains a milky juice and the small pear-like 

 tubers are said to be edible. It may be, however, as Dr. Gray said about 

 the May apple's fruit, that they are eaten by pigs and boys. 



THE GERANIUM FAMILY. 



GerajiidcecE. 



Herbs with forked ste7?is, alternate^ or opposite, pahnately-lobed leaves 

 and ?'egiilar, perfect Jlowers growing axillary and solitary, or in clusters. 



